Austen was the younger sister of Francis Austen, and the elder sister of Charles Austen.

George IV was an early admirer of Austen's. He kept a set of her books in each of his residences. Accordingly, George - then the Prince of Wales - instructed his librarian, James Stanier Clark, to summon Austen to the Prince's London palace to visit him. Though Austen disliked the prince, she graciously accepted. While there, she was asked to dedicate a copy of Emma to him. Clark, the librarian, also gave her a rather longwinded and precise speech on what the next Austen novel should contain, and what it should not. Austen dutifully took notes, which she later transformed into a sarcastic "Perfect Novel" plan for a book that she never intended to write.

Walter Scott was one of the few people to publish a review of one of Austen's novels, though he did so anonymously, as Austen was at the time considered fashionable but controversial. The review was favorable, and he praised her for her realism.

How Added - She was mentioned on Time magazine's "100 Most Significant Figures in History" article, though not on the list herself.